Air circulator for refrigerator cars



P 1940. w. E. BAILLIE 2,195,639

AIR CIRCULATOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Sept. 23, 1937' 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 2, 1940. w, E, L E 2,195,639

AIR CIRCULATOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Sept. 23, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2, 1940. w. E. BAILLIE AIR CIRCULATOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed Sept. 23, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 RUG/22%)": ZJ/azliace 1 2 flax/211b,-

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 i I l W. E. BAILLIE Filed Sept. 23, 1937 AIR CIRCULATOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS April 2, 1940.

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Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES AIRl CIRCULATOR FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS WallacehE.Baillie. McDonald, Pa'., assignor, by"

mesne assignments, l.

ration of Delaware v I v 6 Claims.

The invention relates to -insulated railway refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities, such as vegetablesfruits, berries; meats, eggs, frozen fish, etc., andto maintain such commodities while in transit within a predetermined range of temperature, thus necessitating the use of a cooling means in the summer and a heating" compartment and is provided withapertures ad}- jacent the ceiling and floor of the car, respectively. Means are provided to induce -a convection circulation of air between the refrigerant chamber and ladingcompartment throughsaid apertures. Ice is used as such means when it is desired to cool the ladingand a stove. is used when it is desired to warm the lading, butthe movement of the air in':either of such cases is usually quite slow and; sluggish and, therefore, not satisfactory in very cold or very hot Weather and sometimesallows the lading to freeze or bake.

An object of the invention .is to augment the movement of thecirculating airandthus obtain a more even temperature of the lading during transit and a colder lading when ice isused and a warmer lading when a. heater is used.

In the drawings:

Fig.1 shows a longitudinal sectionof apart of a refrigerator car having my improved means for augmenting the circulation of air therein.

Fig. 2 shows an elevation 'ofthe .bulkhead and my improvement in the upper part thereof and in the lower part thereof'shows a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3' shows a plan; view of the chamber and my improvement.

Fig. 4 shows an elevation of the fan design of my improvementand portions of the associated parts of the car.

'Fig. 5 is a plan'view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 1 f Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified construction and portions of the associated parts of the car.

Fig. 9 shows the swinging arm attachment of the modified construction to the earl I Fig. 10 is a side elevationof Fig. 9;

In the form of my invention illustrated the refrigerator car is provided with a bulkhead 2 sep-.

refrigerant to Standard Railwayl ipment Manufacturing Company, a corpofl Application September'23, 193v, Serial.No.1( i5 ,309

arating the refrigerant chamber 3 from the lading compartment 4. The bulkhead 2 is provided with an apertureadjacent the floor 6 ofv the car and an aperture 1 adjacent the ceiling 8 of the car with a solid wall9 therebetween.

A refrigerant is supported by the grates [2 in the refrigerant chamber 3 in spaced relation to the floor 6 of the car and the basket (or netting) l3 spaces the refrigerant from the end wall I4 and bulkhead 2 to provide the fines "IE-41.- The apertured floor rack [8 supports the lading so as to provide the space whichcommunicates with the flues Iii-I1. A refrigerant, such as ice, in the refrigerant chamberinduces a convection I circulation of air from the flues lG-ll through the flue space Zlland the apertures 2 I: in the floor rack 18, and as the air is warmed by the lading, itv rises andpasses through the bulkhead upper. opening 1, and thence through the flues lB-el'i, and being cooled by the refrigerant, repeats the convection cycle. j

When a stove or other'heater is placed in the refrigerant chamber a convection circulation of air is induced in the opposite directionbe'cause the air warmed by the heater rises .and falls when cooled by the lading. I v

The means to augment the circulation of air comprises a plurality of spaced apart vanes 30 positioned in the upper, (or lower) aperture in the bulkhead? and lying in a planesubstantially parallel to the direction of movement-of the circulating air. Each vane has one margin thereof pivotally mounted'3l upon a rigid part of the car, such as the members 32 and 33 shown. Some portion of each vane 3!) remote from the pivoted margin 3| is yieldingly'attached to a rigid part of the car, preferably by the aligned coil springs35 and 36, wherein the upper spring 35 is suspended from the bracket 31 and the lower spring 36 is supported by the bracket 38. If a plurality of vanes are used each vane is pivotally attached 40 to the upright member 4| for simultaneous operation. The jolting caused by the service movements of the car and the inertia of the vanes causes the vanes to swing around their pivots 3i, upwardly or downwardly, and the springs 35-36 return the vanes to' their normal substantially horizontal positions. Such action causes the vanes to fan'the air in a direction away from the pivot points 3|, thus increasing the speed of the circulation of the air. a substantially horizontal position by-their pivots 40, thus providing means to limit the vanes to substantially verticalmovements. I

7 Another modification of my invention is shown The vanes. are held in ported below the grate l2 in the refrigerant chamber 3 preferably by the coil springs 5! which are suspended from the brackets 52 which are shown secured to the grate l2. The vanes 58 extend between and are secured to the spaced apart headers 54. The substantially horizontally disposed arms 55 are pivotally attached 5% to the headers 54 and also pivotally attached 5'! to the brackets 58 which are secured to a fixed part'of the'car, (such as the end wall 59) so that when the jolting caused by the service movements of thecar and the inertia of the vanes 55! (and headers 54) cause the vanes to move upwardly or downwardly. The arms 55 provide means to limit the vanes to substantially vertical movements. The unit (comprising the vanes and the headers) is free to rotate about the pivots 55 while the unit swings on the are from the pivots 57 which aperture in the bulkhead 2 provided in the form illustrated by the wall 653-855 whereby upon an upward movement of the vanes 56 the inclined surface 65fi6 forces air toward the aperture and under the lading. (See Fig. 10.)

The concave l52 and inclined iit$ surfaces are preferably used in each vane though they may be used independently of each other in separate vanes to augment the circulation of air.

One vane, or a plurality of vanes, may be used and still come within the scope of the invention.

I have shown coil springs in the drawings but a leaf spring or a flexible band (a rubber band, for instance,) may be used. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact'details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a bulkhead separating a refrigerant chamber from the lading compartment, a refrigerant grate in said cham ber, said. bulkhead provided with upper and lower apertures so that a refrigerant in said chamber induces a convection circulation of air be tween said chamber and said compartment, means to augment said circulation of air comprising a value yieldingly suspended below said grate, said vane provided with a substantially horizontally disposed upwardly projecting concave surface and an inclined surface facing toward said lower aperture so that the service movements of the car cause the inertia of the vane to cooperate with the yielding suspension and move said vane upwardly and downwardly whereby upon the downward movement the concave surface forces air downwardlyand upon the upward movement the inclined surface forces air toward said aperture.

2. In a refrigerator car having a .bulkheadjsep arating a refrigerant chamberfrom .the lading compartment, a refrigerant grate in said chams ibstantially wherein a plurality of vanes 50 are yieldingly supupon the downward movement the concave surface forces air downwardly and upon the upward movement the inclined surface forces air toward said aperture, and means to limit said 'vane to substantially vertical movements.

3. In a refrigerator car having a bulkhead separating a refrigerant chamber from the lading compartment, 'a refrigerant te in said chamber, said bulkhead providedwnn upper and low er apertures so that a refrigerant chamber induces a convection circulation of air between said chamber and said compartment, means to augment'said circulation of air comprising a pluralityof vanes yieldingly suspended below said grate. and extending between and secured to spaced apart headers, each of said vanes provided with a substantially horizontally dis-- posed upwardly projectconcave surface and an inclined surface facing toward said lower aperture so that the service movementsof the car cause the inertia of the vanesto cooperate with the yielding suspension and move said vanes upwardly and downwardly whereby upon the down-' ward movementthe concave surfaces force air downwardly and upon theupward movement the inclined surfaces. force air, toward said aperture. r

4. In a refrigerator car having a bulkhead separating a refrigerant chamber from the lading compartment, a refrigerant grate in said chamber, said bulkhead provided with upper and lowan inclined surface facing toward said lower aperture so that the servioelnove'ments of the car cause the inertia of the vanes to cooperate with the yielding suspension and move said vanes upwardly and downwardly whereby upon the downward movement the concave surfaces force air downwardly and upon the upward movement the inclined surfaces force air toward said aperture, and means to limit said vane to substantially vertical movements, said means comprising substantially disposed arms pivotally attached to said headers and pivotally attached to a rigid partofthecar.

5. In a refrigerator car having a bulkheadseparating a refrigerantchamber from the lading compartment, a refrigerant grate in said chamber, said bulkhead provided with upper and lower apertures so that a refrigerant in said chamber induces aconvection circulaticnof air between said chamber and said-compartment, means to augment said circulation of air comprising a .vane yieldingly suspended below said grate, said vane provided with a substantially horizontally disposed upwardly projecting concave surface so that the service movementsof the car cause the inertia of the vane to cooperate with the yielding suspension and move said vane upwardly and downwardly whereby upon the downward movement the concave surface forces air downwardly.

6. In a refrigerator car having a bulkhead separatinga refrigerant chamber from the lading compartment, a refrigerant grate in said chamher, said bulkhead provided with upper and lower apertures so that a refrigerant in said chamher induces a convection circulation of air be tween said chamber and said compartment,

means to augment said circulation of air com-.

prising a vane yieldingly suspended below said grate, said vane provided with a substantially horizontally disposed upwardly projecting concave surface so that the service movements of the car cause the inertia of the vane to cooperate with the yielding suspension and-move said vane upwardly and downwardly whereby upon the up- Ward movement the inclined surface forces air toward said aperture.

WALLACE E. BAJLLIE. 

